DocTock993

I have a weird recurring problem. The Bosch OEM wiper blades keep falling apart! When it happened to the first set I attributed it to the car having lived its first life in San Diego with a lot of sun. I just noticed that the latest set did the same thing.
Is this due to my expectations that the blades will last forever with no use (car never driven intentionally in the rain) and they are 2 years old and ready for replacement?
Are the wiper arms adjusted incorrectly thus putting too much pressure on the blades?
Are there simply just better blades available out there?

I did do a search and there was no consensus on what worked the “best” with several people describing issues with various blades not clearing well.

Any suggestions?

Russ

ceboyd

geez.. my first original set lasted me 9 years (I just replaced them now on my 96 993) so I don't know what to tell you here


..then again, I don't live in the land of the eternal sun and actually sometimes have to use the wipers



If your car is RED, I have a spare OEM new set ready to go (silicone inserts that happen to be red) -- inserts already installed..

...but I'm not sure how many people can handle red wiper blade inserts so I figured I'd just hold onto them for now

DocTock993

The car is now in St. Louis, so I have almost the same weather as you (albiet less snowy) - that's why I don't think this time it's sun damage.
Red calipers (planned upgrade) on a silver car yes... red wiper inserts, I'll pass. Thanks though!

ceboyd

lol.. no worries..

I'd just go with OEM stock (just make sure it isn't new OLD stock that has sat around for 7+ years meaning the rubber was already aging and falling apart over time without even being used)...

I'm a bit concerned that the new old stock I have on the car now will not last the 9 years the OEM ones did but time will tell... (my replacement blades from the dealer -- full housing - were dated 97 so it was indeed new old stock)

the_buch

Also don't use Rain-X on your front windshield as it seems to eat the blades??

Jeff A 993

I just ordered OEM blades from my local dealer ($60!!), hoping that they would be the same as the units currently on the car (most likely oem).

However, they were quite larger in profile than the current wipers. Specs seemed to have changed in the last 10 years!

The wipers on the car have a small rubber pad on the driver side blade that protects the wipers from banging into each other when in the low (non-use) position.

I like the smaller-profile OEM wipers, so I simply used the blades from the new wipers, and installed in the 'old' frames. I used some zymol on the arms and blade frames, and they look just like new!

Anyone also noticed this? Is there a source for the 'original' blades?

thanks -- Jeff

ceboyd

hmm.. I had bought mine back in 98 and just kept them in my closet until just this spring to install.. so they were the same size and I moved that little rubber piece over since they were the same.. the original's that I took of is what I had replaced just the rubber on for future use... I had not realized they changed in size over the years.. go figure!

jhale

I bought mine, OEM I guess from Pelican Parts but haven't tries them out in the rain yet. They fit perfectly and didn't rub on the windshield seals.

Edward

Yes, I definitely recommend that you have wiper blades

...just get em anywhere. 2 different lengths; the refills at the generic autoparts stores have worked for me. And remember that these ARE a consumable item (geeeze, 2 years old ...no wonder they're falling apart).

Edward

dutchcrunch

if your car has the two silver reinforcements in the blades you buy the refills and replace the rubber with german made new inserts from the vw audi dealer, part number 200 955 522 comes in 22" lenght and two per box for 10 dollars. you can cut the rest off. i have a 964 and when i went to order they gave me some different lenght blades, so i went with refills and the are perfect. good luck either way.

95 C4 993

I just got a set from Pelican and put them on this weekend. The ones that were on-Bosche-the ones that came from Pelican- Bosche. You just fill in the blanks according to your car and they send you the right sizes. The set was $18.

dbf73

what are the stock sizes? I used the little machine at the FLAPS and it came back with 2 dirrerent sizes, neither of which matched what is on the car now.

Greg Fishman

bosch microedge

Garth S

15" and 18" on mine ...

brad@tirerack.com

You guys need to check out the PIAA Super Silicone blades we carry. They are silicone based, not rubber and impregnated with silicone as well. They come with an initial application of silicone to start with and the blades keep refreshing that application until they wear out. They last easily three times as long as a rubber blade and wipe great without getting hard and chattering.

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/piaa/wipers_all.jsp

Check them out.